I spent a long time on the phone last night with Howard Dolgon, president of the Syracuse Crunch. Dolgon offered his take - prefaced by words of loyalty to Tex and John Simone of the Syracuse Chiefs - on how he would have pursued the New York Mets, if he'd been in the driver's seat. Those thoughts became my column for Friday.

Many people have expressed concern about a one-two punch of potentially losing the Mets, then having the Crunch beat it out of town. Yet Dolgon did not sound like a guy furious enough to turn his back on Syracuse, despite the recent decision by the Onondaga County Legislature to eliminate a new $717,000 scoreboard from roughly $10 million in improvements to the War Memorial.

"We have no plan to go anywhere," Dolgon said, although the scoreboard remains the dealmaker for the Crunch in any longterm commitment to the city. While he downplayed his dream of seeing a new and larger downtown arena in Syracuse, he spoke emphatically of the need for dramatic improvements in the War Memorial.

"We deserve an arena better than the one we have," Dolgon said. He described the War Memorial as one of the worst facilities in the American Hockey League.

The planned improvements, which include new seats and dramatic improvements to the lockerrooms, are desperately needed, Dolgon said. Eventually, he'd like to see a restaurant and club seating added to the War Memorial, as well.

As for the idea of a new arena, which Dolgon used to pitch with great energy, it sounds as if he accepts it's not going to be. Many in Syracuse believe our city should have built a new and larger auditorium in the early 1990s, either by demolishing the existing building or by incoporating historic elements into a new design.

Dolgon said economic reality probably dooms that idea. The War Memorial, he said, still retains its own "charm." It's the "toughest building for a (visiting) team to play in, because of the venue and how loud and intimidating the crowd can be," Dolgon said. "What we've got to do is enhance the experience."

What that means, immediately, is a new scoreboard.

As for staying here, Dolgon sounded reassuring - for the most part.

"We love each and every fan in Syracuse," he said. "We have no plans to go anywhere else, but we also have no plans to sign that option without a real commitment from the county."